This week we look at the latest releases from Paranerd, Kidd Spunk and a split release from FAXES and Counting on Downstairs.
Matt Carter
Paranerd – Experimental Music for Producers
Moncton producer Paranerd (Paul Goguen) has a long track record of releasing electronic music with a depth of composition few have achieved. Defined in part by his ability to skillfully shift layers of sound in and out of frame without compromising the integrity of the whole, a new release from Goguen is always an exciting listen.
Experimental Music for Producers finds Goguen revealing the hidden melodies that exist within complex and sometimes chaotic structures. Each track starts off by creating an environment for the listener that exists free of any familiar framework. No definite rhythm. No distinct melody. Once he has established this sonic freedom as a territory to build upon for each new track, he begins to introduce small details that slowly combine to form themes that eventually reveal a much larger picture.
I know – that’s a heavy description – but that’s what’s happening on each of the seven tracks that make up this release. Fringe sounds to the max.
FAXES/Counting on Downstairs Split EP
On this, the first collaboration between NB Noise Brigade and Patient Records, FAXES seem to sidestep the horror flick inspiration that fueled its first few releases, adopting a more industrial workplace approach this time around. The three FAXES tracks on this four track EP sound less “Friday The 13th” and a lot more “I’m stuck in some strange office building, it’s 3 a.m. and I keep hearing weird noises” sort of way. A different kind of fear, perhaps.
Contrasting this is the Counting on Downstairs track, Don’t it Make My Brown Öyster Cult Blue?, a 30 minute, mood-shifting meditation that starts off with a defined tempo before dissolving into a well structured dream state.
Four tracks totaling 60 minutes of music and sound. Priced as Pay-What-You-Wish, you won’t find better value than that.
Kidd Spunk – Civic Music EP
I love it when an album leaves me at a complete loss for words. Sometimes it happens as a result of something familiar delivered in an entirely new way, and other times it’s the result of something like Civic Music, the debut EP from Kidd Spunk.
Part beat poetry, part sound collage, part bedroom hip hop, Civic Music is at times a challenging listen but also a rewarding one. It’s low budget tones, repetitive loops, and an all around mish-mash of sound, yet I listened to it quite a few times before I sat down to write this and I’m confident I’ll play it again.
Like a lot of bedroom music, the lyrical content is overtly personal, at times sounding like lines from a diary. If I had to guess, I’d say Civic Music is Kidd Spunk sharing his own personal journey through drugs, alcohol and depression. While it may not be pretty, I think the reasons behind this album’s creation are bigger than you and me. It’s music as therapy. You won’t find a club banger here, but you will find honesty. Here’s to hoping you’re OK, Mr. Spunk.
Send us your Music!
If you are a New Brunswick artist or group, have new music on the way and would like to be considered for a future edition of Midweek Music Mix, send us the details at gridcitymagazine(at)gmail.com
